Title |
Effectiveness of isopropyl myristate/cyclomethicone D5 solution of removing cuticular hydrocarbons from human head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis)
|
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Published in |
BMC Dermatology, September 2012
|
DOI | 10.1186/1471-5945-12-15 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Eric Barnett, Kathleen G Palma, Bert Clayton, Timothy Ballard |
Abstract |
In the treatment of human head lice infestation, healthcare providers are increasingly concerned about lice becoming resistant to existing pesticide treatments. Traditional pesticides, used to control these pests, have a neurological mechanism of action. This publication describes a topical solution with a non-traditional mechanism of action, based on physical disruption of the wax layer that covers the cuticle of the louse exoskeleton. This topical solution has been shown clinically to cure 82% of patients with only a 10-minute treatment time, repeated once after 7 days. All insects, including human head lice, have a wax-covered exoskeleton. This wax, composed of hydrocarbons, provides the insect with protection against water loss and is therefore critical to its survival. When the protective wax is disrupted, water loss becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, leading to dehydration and death. A specific pattern of hydrocarbons has been found in all of the head louse cuticular wax studied. Iso-octane effectively removes these hydrocarbons from human head lice's cuticular wax. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Canada | 1 | 33% |
Unknown | 2 | 67% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 3 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 54 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 9 | 17% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 13% |
Student > Master | 7 | 13% |
Researcher | 6 | 11% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 3 | 6% |
Other | 8 | 15% |
Unknown | 14 | 26% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 12 | 22% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 8 | 15% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 11% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 6% |
Unspecified | 2 | 4% |
Other | 9 | 17% |
Unknown | 14 | 26% |